Electron tube package



Feb. 9, 1965 K. s. OMER, JR 3,168,953

ELECTRON TUBE PACKAGE Filed Aug. 30, 1961 a. L l0 '4 l6 2 42 HH" |||H|| 42 FIG. I FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

KENNER S. OMER. JR.

HIS ATTO NEY United States Patent r 3,163,953 h ELECTRON TUBE PACKAGE Kenner S. (liner, .ln, Owensboro, Ky, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 134,969 1 Claim. (ill. 2tl6-,65)

This invention relates to packaging and more particularly pertains to a new and improved package for relatively small fragile articles such as electron tubes.

In packaging electron tubes or similar articles it is desirable that the package be light weight and inexpensive to fabricate. Also, the package must provide means for holding the tubes firmly in place and for furnishing the necessary protection from shock and vibration to which the package may be subjected during storage, handling and shipping. As a factor in keeping packaging costs to a minimum, it is desirable that the package be adapted to receive tubes of various sizes, and further that the package be of, such construction as to facilitate the packing of the tubes therein.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a new and improved package for electron tubes or similar articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electron tube package of such construction as to suspend the tube completely within the package to provide protection for the pin connectors, exhaust tips and/or top caps of the tubes. u

A further object of the invention is to provide an electron tube package adapted to receive and totally enclose tubes-of various axial lengths and diameters.

Briefly stated, the invention relates to a package for electron tubes comprising a base having at least one recess adapted to receive one end 'of an electron tube and a cover having at least one recess adapted to correspond to and .be axially aligned with the recess in the base. The base and the cover areprovided with mating tongue and groove peripheral'portions adapted to be telescopically engaged with each other so that tubes of varying lengths may be totally enclosed within the package and the cover and base maintained in required alignment to prevent mechanical and electrical damage to the tubes.

Further features, objects and advantages will become apparent with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the base of the package of the invention; 7

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the package of the invention containing a relatively short electron tube with the cover in position to be engaged with the base;

FIG. 3 is a view of the package of FIG. 2 after the base and cover have been completely assembled; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the package of the invention containing electron tubes of greater axial length than those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the package of the invention may be seen as comprising a base and a cover 12. 'Any suitable method and material may be employed in fabricating'the base and cover. However, it has been found that the package is particularly inexpensive to fabricate and suitable for packaging electron tubes when the package is molded of plastic material or more particularly porous resins such as expanded polystyrene or foamed urethane. Such materials are very light in weight but are relatively strong and rigid. They are also advantageous from the standpoint that the densities of the materials may be readily varied to provide a package of the desired strength and rigidity for handling different types of tubes. Further, since materials of these types do not normally give off undesirable gases or vapors, they "ice will not cause tarnishing or discoloration of the exposed metal parts of the tube such as the connecting pins. Paper products, for example, may containsulphur which may be conducive to tarnishing of exposed metal parts.

Also, the synthetic materials such as expanded polystyrene make the package free from lint, and thus eliminate objections usually found with respect to packages made from paper when such packages are used or stored in otherwise lint-free manufacturing areas.

The cover and base may each be formed to include an array of recesses some of which are shown, for example,

at l4, l6 and 18 in base Iii and at 29 and 22 in cover 12. The recesses in the cover 12 correspond to and are axially aligned with corresponding recesses in the base member 10. In accordance with the invention, each recess is adapted to receive a respective end of an electron tube and each may be provided with a portion having a reduced cross-section forming a shoulder on which end portions. of the tube are respectively adapted to bear. Such shoulders are shown at 24 in recess 14 and at 26 in recess 20, for example. Recesses of such shape are particularly adapted to receive electron tubes of the type shown at 28 having its lower half positioned in recess 14 in FIG. 2. Tube 28 is of a conventional variety having an envelope 36 a dome portion 32 leading to an exhaust tip 34, a base stem 36 and a plurality of electrical connecting pins generally shown at 38.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tube 28 is supported by its base stem 36 resting on shoulder 24 so that the pins 38 are suspended and do not touch the bottom wall of the recess 14. Similarly, when the cover member 12 is moved from the positions shown in FIG. 2. to the closed position shown in FIG. 3, the crown. of the dome portion 32 of tube 28 engages shoulder 26 in recess 20 so that exhaust tip 34 is in effect spaced from the top and side 7 wall of recess 20. It will be appreciated that with the tube28 supported in this fashion, the tube receives a maximum of protection so' that mechanical and electrical damage resulting from shocks and vibrations .to which the package might be subjected during storage, handling, and shipping are minimized.

In accordance with the invention, the base member 7.9 is provided with aperipheral, upwardly extending flange portion 49 and a peripheral groove 42 adjacent the flange 40. The cover member 12 is provided with a downwardly extending lip or tongue 44 adapted to mat-e with groove 42. This tongue and groove arrangement serves to permit the cover 12 to be telescopically received in the base 10 to complete the package so that the tubes positioned therein are totally enclosed and automatically to align the recesses of the cover and base members.

With the package as described herein, it will be appreciated that electron tubes of various axial lengths may be enclosed within the same package in that the tongue and groove arrangement provides axial adjustability. That is, the package may be used to enclose a plurality of tubes of the type indicated at 23 in FIGS. 2 'and 3 or a plurality of tubes of the type shown at 46 and 48 in FIG. 4, which are substantially longer than tube 28. Similarly, any tubes having approximately the same cross-section, but having varying axial lengths, may be enclosed within the particular package described. Also, the tongue and groove arrangement maintains the base and cover in axial alignment to thereby prevent mechanical or electrical damage to the tubes.

It will be noted further that, while the tubes 28, 46 and 48 have been illustrated and described as being of a diameter such that the tubes are relatively snugly received in the corresponding recesses, this is not an essential requirement. I have found that tubes of such diameter as to be substantially smaller than the inner diameter of the recesses can be equally well supported in view of the fact 3 that the suspension of such tubes by the shoulders as at 24 and 26 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is sufiicient to provide the required stability against shocks and vibration.

It should, of course, be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular tongue and groove arrangement heretofore shown and described herein. For example, the tongue and groove arrangement shown may be reversed so that cover 12 ,wou1d be provided with a groove adapted to re'ceivean upwardly extending tongue from base 10. Also, the flange 40 extending upwardly from base is not absolutely essential inasmuch as the package would still be enclosed if the flange were omitted. However, it has been found that'the arrangement shown is particularly advantageous in that is provides additional stability and protection.

As another variation, the tongue and grooveconstruction need not be complete peripheral portions; instead they may be interrupted peripheral portions. For exam ple, two opposing sides of. base 12m'ay be provided with grooves such as that shown at 42' in FIG. land the cover member 12 may be provided with tongues on the corresponding sides adapted tofit'within'the' grooves. In such an arrangement, the other two opposing sides of base 12 may be provided with upstanding tongues comparable to tongue 44 while the other two sides of cover 12 may be provided with grooves comparable to groove 42' for receiving the corresponding tongue from base 10; Various modifications of this basic idea may also be employed which would include the telescoping tongue and groove feature.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. For example, while the package has been primarily described and shown as being suitable'for packaging electron tubes havingsealed-oif tips at one end, it will be appreciated that tubes having top caps or upwardly extending lead wires in place of or in addition to such tip, can equally well be accommodated; Also, the package of my invention may easily be adapted to contain other fragile products wherein the telescoping feature will" be advantageous;

Accordingly, 'it'is intended in the appended-claim to cover" all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

' in the base nad cover having a portion of reduced cross-' Wliat I claim as new'and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

The combination comprising a plurality of electron tubes, each ofsaid tubes comprising an envelope having a tube based stem from which pinsproject at one end anda protrusion on a domed opposite end of said envelope,

and a package containinglsaid tubes, said package com-' prising a molded base having a pattern of'recesse's each receiving one end of an electron tube, a moldedcover havin a attern of recesses corres ondin to and axiall aligned with the recesses in the base, each cover recess receiving theopposite end of the tube placed in the' corresponding recess in the base, said base member having a peripheral groove in its upper surface, said cover having a downwardly depending. peripheral tongue telescopically received Within said groove so that tubes of varying lengths may be enclosed within saidpackage and said cover and base may be axially aligned, each of the recesses section forming a shoulder on which the tube base stem and domed opposite end respectively bear whereby the pins and the protrusion-are maintained in spaced relation to the adjacent walls of the recesses.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,543,443 6/25 Koppelman 217-265 1,926,916 9/33 Reeves 206--46 1,967,040 7/34 Pickett 217-26.5 2,100,516 11/37 Read 217-265 2,521,278 9/50 Bauman u' 220 s 2,672,980 3/54 Halbach 206 2,695,645 11/54 Tupper 22042 2,701,229 2/55 Scherr 1 220 42 3,055,495 9/62 Naimer -2064 46 3,080,964 V 3/63 Robinson 206-46 a FOREIGN PATENTS 1,051,723 2/59 Germany 7 V THERON E. Co noN,"Pri a y/exa ner. 3

EARL, J1 D UMMQ D, GEORGE o; .RALSTON,

Exam in era.

Kann 220 42. 

